Homeopaths claim to have medicines for Nipah
Kozhikode, June 3: The Indian Homeopathic Medical Association's Kerala unit has claimed of having the medicines to treat the Nipah virus.
B. Unnikrishnan, an Association official, said homeopathy has the appropriate medicines for all types of fever and hence they should be allowed to treat the infected patients.
The Association has requested the state Health Minister K.K. Shailaja to allow their professionalsto examine the records of all those patients who have been tested positive for Nipah.
But state Health Secretary Rajiv Sadanandan told the media on Sunday that he had no knowledge of this development.
"The homeopathy department is directly under me and so far no one has approached me or the department with this. We have no issues at all to look into it," said Sadanandan.
Sadanandan said that out of the 18 positive cases, four were infected with the virus even though they never had any direct contact with the patients.
"Due to the timely intervention of the health authorities, they have been able to contain the spread. But one unfortunate thing that has happened is circulation of false news on social media. There is no need to panic or fear. Things are under control," the Secretary added.
The Kozhikode police have arrested six people for circulating false news on social media.
A second round of test results from Bhopal collected from fruit bats from the affected areas near here has turned out to be negative. Earlier results from another bat species were also negative.
In several churches on Sunday at Kozhikode, the priests served the serving of the Holy Mass to the hands of the people, instead of puting it directly into their mouths.
So far, 16 people have died and two are recovering. Some 2,000 people who came in contact with the infected patients are also being monitored.
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Consumers feeling the heat of rising tender coconut prices in Karnataka
Bengaluru: The cost of tender coconuts has skyrocketed in Karnataka, with retail prices now ranging between Rs 50 and Rs 60 per coconut. In parts of North India, prices have even touched Rs 80 to Rs 100. This price hike is reportedly attributed to a combination of extreme temperatures in Northern India and lower yields in Karnataka, which has been facing its own heatwave.
Maddur, the largest market for tender coconuts in India, has seen average wholesale prices fluctuating between Rs 38 and Rs 50 per coconut over the past three months. Retail prices are higher and depend upon distance from key markets such as Davangere, Tumakuru, Mandya, Hassan, and others as reported by Deccan Herald on Saturday.
During June and July of this year, tender coconuts were available for around Rs 35 in Karnataka, the country's leading coconut producer. However, prices have spiked due to a variety of factors. According to the state government's online agriculture marketing information website, Krishi Marata Vahini, wholesale prices have risen by at least Rs 10,000 per 1,000 coconuts compared to last year.
V. Rajannab, Deputy Director of the Tumakuru APMC Yard, attributed the supply disruption to the "heatwave conditions of the summer of 2024," explaining that farmers could harvest only 30% to 40% of their expected yield. He told the news outlet that the increased demand from North Indian states has further driven up prices in the local market. Nearly 60% of Karnataka's tender coconuts are shipped to North India, with states like Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat now seeking supplies, he added.
Officials from the horticulture department have suggested that the high price of ball copra could also have impacted the supply of tender coconut. “The price of ball copra has more than doubled in the last three months, going from Rs 8,000 to Rs 18,000 a tonne. There is a general feeling that the price could go further high, which is why most of the farmers are not harvesting tender coconuts,” Horticulture Deputy Director Kadiregowda was quoted as saying by DH.
However, there is some hope for price relief in the near future. With copious rains this monsoon, the yield is anticipated to improve, which could further help stabilise the market and bring prices down in the coming weeks.
